Turning on the camera on Apple's MacBook Air or MacBook Pro is an automatic process and actually doesn’t require anything from the user. For those that have recently upgraded to a newer MacBook, such as the M1 models, or switched over for the first time from a Windows laptop, then it is worth understanding how the built-in camera works and the options available to the user.

Over the past year, the use of laptops and notebooks, like the MacBook, has increased greatly. This is just one of the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how people engage with the internet, and especially for those that have suddenly found themselves having to work or school from home. With a change as drastic as this, there has also likely been an increase in the number of consumers that have opted to invest in newer devices. For many, a new M1 MacBook is likely to be a popular option, as besides the increase in power, the portable design makes it just as useful outside of the home as when at home.

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MacBook users don’t actually need to enable or disable the camera when they want to use it, as Apple looks to seamlessly link the experience to the apps that use the camera. In other words, simply launching an app that has access to the camera, like FaceTime, will automatically enable the camera. Likewise, closing down any apps that typically use the camera will disable the camera again. MacBook users can check to see whether the camera is active or not by looking for a green LED light next to the camera. If the glowing green light can be seen, the camera is enabled.

Controlling Mac App Access To The Camera

MacBook Air FaceTime

Considering apps on a MacBook have the ability to automatically enable the camera when launched, it is worth knowing how to permanently disable this option on a per-app basis. To do this, click on the Apple menu icon and then on System Preferences followed by Security & Privacy. Then click on Privacy and finally on Camera. From here, the MacBook user can check a box next to any app to enable access to the camera. Or, uncheck a box next to any of the apps to ensure they cannot access the camera.

While making this MacBook settings change will disable the camera, it is also worth knowing that each time the app is launched, the user will likely see a message requesting access to the camera. This is to be expected with an app that is primarily designed for capturing images and videos, but could act as a useful warning sign for any Apple MacBook apps the user doesn’t expect to require access to their camera.

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Source: Apple